I was talking with some people about this last night... Its impressive how Yale and (to a lesser degree) Harvard know that people will probably attend no matter what, but don't really take advantage of that fact at applicants expense. They're transparent and open about their process and give you an initial decision within a few months.

Stanford (and Columbia) really do seem to take advantage of the fact that applicants will likely attend if they get in, even if it's 7 or more months later and necessarily makes things more stressful. Meh. Waiting 7+ months on any application without a peep or acknowledgment at all (except for like US Gov top secret clearance) is really weird and off-putting.